Last Train Home

“But there's still tomorrow
Forget the sorrow
And I can be on the last train home
Watch it pass the day
As it fades away
No more time to care
No more time, today

But we sing
If we're going nowhere
If it's not enough
And we sing
Sing without a reason
To ever fall in love”

Last Train Home – Lostprophets 

I heard the news at the beginning of the year about Ian Watkins and his shameful actions, and this week he pleaded guilty to his charges of various sex crimes. You can read up what he did because writing out what he did makes me feel ill. I will use a word I reserve only for the very worst people in society – the former lead singer of Lostprophets is a fucking sick cunt who deserves to rot in jail for his disgusting acts. 

There once was a time where I loved Lostprophets. They were among my favourite bands when I went through my weird emo phase, and indeed they came out with me on the other side. They were a good band and they made good music across their five studio albums. Ian Watkins has a great voice and songs like Last Train Home and Rooftops became the kind of anthems you would head bang to, and if you’re like me, this head banging was done in secret in your bedroom. Nowadays they aren't a favourite band, but a band whose music I continue to enjoy.

It makes me sad seeing what has become of this band. I don’t understand how one person could become so caught up in a twisted criminal world and destroy a solid music career, for both themselves and for the other band members. And what are we, the fans and supporters of the band, supposed to think? It is a strange thing to watch people in the spotlight fall from grace, because you never knew them and yet feel as though they are a part of you. It’s confusing: I hate Ian Watkins for his criminal actions, but I still love him for his music and his musical talent. It now seems so inappropriate to say I like Lostprophets music, but I do still like it and I still like the way Watkins sings and I still want to head bang to Last Train Home in my bedroom. 

This week a very bad man has pleaded guilty and will be put away in jail. He will be taken out of our civilisation and hopefully no one else will become his victim. But also this week a good musician was taken away from us, and that is a loss for our music industry. This is a complicated case and, much like I was as a teenager listening to Rooftops, I am so confused about how to feel. Most of all I am sad. I am sad for the fans who lost a band, and for the people who lost something at the evil hands of Watkins. I hope we see more music from the other members of Lostprophets, but for now I will listen to Liberation Transmission with a touch of sorrow and think about the bitter humour there is in the songs A Town Called Hypocrisy and Can’t Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won’t Save You This Time).